District Evaluation Advisory Committee (DEAC)

Each district is required to convene a District Evaluation Advisory Committee (DEAC) composed of a diverse group of stakeholders to advise the district on the implementation of AchieveNJ, at least through 2017-18. The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) recommends that DEACs work closely with School Improvement Panels (see ScIP page).

What is the role of a DEAC?

The District Evaluation Advisory Committee, or DEAC, required by AchieveNJ through at least SY16-17, has great potential for supporting districts in effectively implementing AchieveNJ. This was clearly recognized by New Jersey's evaluation pilot districts and is widely documented in the Final Evaluation Pilot Advisory Committee (EPAC) Report. Recommendations and suggestions for effective DEACs are offered from pilot districts in this two-page excerpt from the full report.

Some recommended functions of the DEAC include:

Coordinate efforts to plan and implement educator evaluation;

Maintain open lines of communication and provide a consistent message about evaluation throughout the district;

Provide an integrated vision connecting multiple initiatives that districts are implementing; and

Provide a coherent professional development plan for the district based on evaluation data.

Who sits on the DEAC?

The committee must include:

the superintendent

a special education administrator

a parent

a member of the district board of education

one or more central office administrators overseeing the teacher evaluation process

one or more administrators conducting evaluations

representatives of teachers from each school level in the district

Districts should consider expanding this minimum requirement to include more teachers and other educators whose engagement in the initiative is important to its success, e.g. teacher leaders, association representatives, other teaching staff members, such as school counselors, etc.

Who is responsible for the DEAC and what decisions does it make?

The primary role of the DEAC is to oversee and guide the planning and implementation of the school district board of education's evaluation policies and procedures (for both teachers and principals), whereas the School Improvement Panel (ScIP) provides leadership at the school level not only for the implementation of the district's teacher evaluation policies and procedures, but also mentoring and professional development supports for teachers.

The superintendent is responsible for the formation and operation of the DEAC. The superintendent must decide how to use the advice provided by this committee and which DEAC decisions should be adopted by the district. The superintendent should clearly communicate the DEAC role in providing feedback.

One key role that both the DEAC and ScIP can play is to mediate and facilitate ongoing communications between the district and its schools to ensure that policies and procedures are being communicated consistently and implemented effectively. For example, the DEAC can distribute policy and procedural information via each ScIP. The SciP can provide school-level feedback on how the policies are being implemented, including information on successes and challenges. To ensure effective two-way communication between ScIPs and DEACs, districts should consider having at least one ScIP member from each school also sit on the DEAC where feasible.

What are some sample topics that a DEAC might address?

Below is a summary of possible agenda items that might be used by DEACs in April or May. Districts should use these resources as guidance and select only those items that make sense for them.

Possible Agenda Items for April/May DEAC Meetings

1) Discuss procedures in place to complete evaluation process throughout districtRefer to Finishing Strong document.

2) Analyze aggregated SGO score distributions and SGO quality
Discuss improving assessment quality and how various measures can be used to determine student starting points. Discuss how to improve collaboration throughout the SGO process.

3) Analyze aggregate teacher practice scores
Examine observation scores by school and by component. Identify potential PD areas that could be addressed in 2015-16.

5) Discuss FAQs
Update district website FAQ with answers to this month's questions from staff. Refer to DOEs FAQ and website as needed.